Pilots are responsible for monitoring a substantial amount of information during flight operations. In addition to the extensive amount of visual information provided by avionics display systems, there are multiple sources of flight deck audio information. For example, flight deck audio information may come from external or internal sources (e.g. radios, intercoms, and the like) and includes radio communications from multiple radios, directions, verbal warnings, alerts, etc. One or more audio devices convert audio data into audio information in response to system audio commands. Examples of audio devices that may be found in an aviation system include radios, intercoms, and the like. The various audio devices are generally independent, each having a dedicated mechanism to silence or cancel the conversion of audio data into audio information (also referred to as the generation of audio information); the mechanism to silence or cancel the generation of audio information may be a cancel button, a volume control, a select button, or the like.
Independent audio devices occasionally generate audio information at the same time, interfering with each other and inhibiting comprehension. In response to overlapping components of audio information, a pilot or crew may reduce the sound from a given audio device via a volume control knob, or other dedicated silence or cancel mechanism, or request that audio information be repeated. Searching the control panel for dedicated controls and/or requesting that information be repeated consumes time and increases cognitive workload.
During a complex avionics operation, an increase in cognitive workload and/or an increase in the time required to comprehend all components of audio information is especially undesirable. Therefore, a system or method that enables a pilot to quickly silence or subdue non-essential audio information is desirable. In particular, enabling the pilot to silence or subdue the non-essential audio information with one or more intuitive gestures is desirable.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a 3D gesture based interface for controlling audio information in flight deck applications. The desired system and method would improve upon currently available 3D gesture recognition interfaces that generally employ hand movements. As referenced herein, a gesture has specific motion dynamics and includes one or more static or dynamic components of a user's palm and fingers. By adding a set of simple, intuitive 3D gestures to generate audio commands and apply them to audio devices, a desirable system unburdens the pilot of searching the control panel for silence or cancel mechanisms for a given audio device. The desirable system is intuitive and enables a pilot to quickly silence or subdue non-essential audio information before the non-essential audio information interferes with essential audio information. A simple, intuitive gesture control for audio information decreases cognitive workload, and enhances the user's overall experience.